Patient portals and kiosks are here, and they are providing multiple benefits to both patients and provider offices. They help improve efficiency, patient and provider satisfaction and even help organizations reach meaningful use requirements.
 

Improve efficiency and revenue cycle
Time is everything in a busy medical office. Kiosks and portals help facilitate the entire patient experience, from checking in to checking out. Here are some examples of how portals improve efficiency and accuracy:
 

•    Pre-registration, including demographics and health history, helps reduce wait times and ensures claims information is correct at the beginning of the revenue cycle                        
•    Access to forms, lab results, and other information reduces phone calls and questions at the front desk.                                                                                                                               
•    Patient medication, allergy and problem lists are kept updated
•    Items such as Patient Review of Systems Forms can be expedited for new patients and kept updated for existing patients, saving nurses tons of input time!                                                                           
•    Patients’ health trends can be tracked and graphed for providers, improving quality of care
•    Patients can set up payment options on the portal, reducing call volume or the need to meet with a staff member
•    Patients can request medication refills online vs. calling
 

Increase patient, provider and staff satisfaction
Think about the pediatrics department. Busy moms juggling sick kids while trying to complete registration forms. Portals make it easier for everyone! The forms can be completed at home (when the child is sleeping), and the information is more accurate than it is when input under stress. The check-in process speeds up considerably.  
 

Wait times – on the phone and in the office – are a source of frustration for patients and costly for healthcare organizations. When labs and other information can be accessed with a few mouse clicks, can you imagine the impact that would have on hold times and call volumes each day?                                          
 

Most importantly, portals allow clinicians to focus on medical care vs. paper work.
 

Meet meaningful use requirements
Portals provide access to health summaries, including procedures, which meets Meaningful Use Sections 170.304(h)—Clinical Summaries and 170.306(d)—Electronic Copy of Health Information.  Preventative health reminders can be sent electronically – refer to Meaningful Use Requirement Section 170.304(d) for reminder lists. This electronic communication saves money in mailing costs as well.

Healthcare, meet the rest of the world
In a society filled with electronics, smart phones and constant computer access, it only makes sense that healthcare take advantage of these tools, while protecting patient information. In fact, patients expect and demand improved communication as technology improves and advances. Patient portals save time and money while improving care and the experience of care. A portal could very well be the most important electronic tool a person uses.